WAUSAU — Few might have expected at the start of the season that a young D.C. Everest squad would be a state tournament qualifier.

Even more surprising might have been in the manner the Evergreens advanced to the Resch Center Saturday.

Jenna Rombalski had 16 kills and Allyssa Frahm added 22 digs as the Evergreens swept Marshfield in a WIAA Division 1 sectional final at Wausau West to earn the program's first state berth since 2009.

Scores were 25-15, 25-19, 25-15.

"The way that these girls have worked together and supported each other is unlike anything I can tell you about," Everest coach Rita Jasurda said. "They push each other and work hard together and it's not just the players you saw (on the court), it's everybody. Just watching it click as it did tonight and come together when it needed to, is just amazing.

"I really imagined this was going five games because we just recently played Marshfield," Jasurda said. "We brought it on every level."

Caroline Hehir and Natalie Mohring had 21 and 10 assists, respectively, and Amanda Brown and Lexie Higgins combined for 15 kills for the Evergreens, who face Divine Savior Holy Angels in a Division 1 state quarterfinal at 4:30 p.m. Thursday.

"This was our goal from the start of the year and it is just awesome that we achieved it," said Brown, who is one of four seniors on the Evergreens roster.

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Everest swept Marshfield Saturday for the program's first sectional title since 2009.
Tim Johnson/Daily Herald Media

The Evergreens trailed just once in the three sets combined after splitting two games with their Wisconsin Valley Conference rivals during the regular season. The Tigers beat the Evergreens in five sets in the final week of the conference schedule in a match that decided second place in the conference.

Marshfield looked like a different team Saturday, however.

"I have no idea what it was, but it wasn't the team that we have seen," Marshfield coach Dawn Sadowska said. "That's the hard part to swallow with all of this. We know that we can be a better team, but we just weren't tonight."

Hannah Meverden and Stephanie Rhodes and eight and six kills, respectively, for the Tigers. Anna Ripp had 25 assists and Sara Dasler chipped in with 15 digs for a Marshfield program that was vying for its first state trip since 2006.

The teams split the first 12 points of the opening set, but then the Evergreens built a 20-13 lead and coasted to the win.

"Our plan was to have a great warm-up, and then come out in the game ready and swinging like that and shut them down," said Frahm, a senior libero. "We just wanted to go out there and play with everything."

Marshfield scored the first three points of the second set, but Everest responded by winning 13 of the next 16 points to take control.

The Tigers fought off six straight match points in the third set after Everest built a 24-9 lead before the Evergreens were eventually able to close it out.

"I think when it got to game point (in the third set), we got really hyped up and really excited," Frahm said of the Tigers making the late run. "We just had to take a deep breath and say, 'We've got this guys. Just do what we know and how we do it.'"